MOBILE, Alabama -- Mayor Sam Jones is planning to make city employees pay more for their health care. They are displeased.

Police officers and firefighters plan to hold a news conference Sunday at noon to air their grievances.

The city's health care costs have been increasing rapidly, 6 percent last year. Next year its projected to jump another 7 percent, reaching $28.65 million.

The employee contribution, meanwhile has remained static, leaving the city to pick up an every increasing portion of the bill.

The employee contributions totaled $4.12 million this year, leaving the city to pick up $22.5 million. (Flex plan contributions and miscellaneous revenue accounted for a further $109,279).

A single employee currently pays $54 per month, a family, $140.

Jones has been planning an increase to the employee's healthcare costs for some time.

He formed a committee of employees to negotiate how much, but the employees resisted, he has said.

In the meantime, the City Council's Citizens Budget and Finance Advisory Committee came up with its own recommendation for an increase.

According to the mayor's office, which has been in contact with the committee, it recommended increasing the single employee contributions to $90 per month and a family plan contribution of $215. That's an increase of 67 percent and 54 percent, respectively.

Retirees, meanwhile, would be expected to contribute $152 for a single plan and $410 for a family plan. Increases of 180 percent and 193 percent, respectively.

Committee members have said in previous meetings that their recommendations are based on a survey of public employers in the region.

Jones, though, said during a recent meeting with the City Council that he found the committee's recommendations to be too extreme.

Jones' plan would increase rates gradually over the next three years. (See charts).

He said that employees haven't gotten raises in five years, asking
them to take what amounts to a hefty pay cut would be unfair.